Thou Shalt Not Kill

It the death penalty is not a deterrent, those who advocate its retention must fall back on retribution as an argument. This is to ignore the value and dignity of human life, and the teachings of Christianity. The oft quoted Old Testament Jaw of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." is misguidedly held up as the justification for the death penalty. This law was an historic advance by the Hebrews in limiting, not extending punishment, for in ancient societies, any offense could be met with the maximum retribution. Christianity claimed to advance further with: "Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good, we are not under the Law. . . The Law was our schoolmaster to [unclear: ring] us to Christ." (Romans 12:21. 6:15).

Now the Jews themselves have discarded the death penalty which has been abolished in Israel.

Christians must then demand, not the death of a sinner, but his redemption, and a Christian society must work with the 'inner for his redemption. The late Archbishop Temple has stated. "From the specifically Christian point of view, vengeance is entirely illegitimate . . . and ought to be completely suppressed.

. . There must be repudiation of the act by the community. . . . Christianity itself calls for such sort of repudiation as does not hinder, but rather facilitates its supreme interest of effecting a moral restoration. ... I believe that the example of the State taking life, even when it only does so in return for a life already taken, does more to lower the value of human life in the minds of its citizens than the deterrent influence of this penalty can do to protect the lives of the citizen. In this way I believe that the main influence of the retention of the death penalty is rather to increase than diminish the number of murders."

Charles Dickens wrote, a century ago. "Not all the united efforts pursued through all our united lives could persuade me that . . . executions are a Christian law." John Bright added. "A deep reverence for human life is worth more than a thousand executions in the prevention of murder; and it is, in fact, the great security of human life the law of capital punishment, whilst pretending to support this reverence, does in fact lend to destroy it."

The hangman is, then, no longer the protector of society. As he does his work in our name, and we are his employers, each one of us who condones the death penalty, pulls the lever which deprives a human being of life, thus admitting to an un-Christian course of action, and demonstrating our utter barrenness to provide a humane and constructive solution.

Two wrongs can never make a right. We did not abolish drawing and quartering out of lack of sympathy with the victim of a crime, but because barbarity is incompatible with the self-respect of a civilised nation. To hang a murderer is not to show sympathy for the victim: nor does it bring back the life of the victim, it merely repeats a tragedy.